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Monday, March 26, 2018

It's not every author who has a husband who will create a special cocktail to celebrate her new novel, set in the 80s in Chicago! Call me Absolut-ly Lucky!

The ABSOLUT-Y, SILVER GIRL Cocktail

By
Steve Ello

The 1980’s ushered in the advent of Vodka as an
emerging cocktail spirit in the American market. One of the most successful and iconic ad
campaigns of the decade were the ads made for Absolut Vodka featuring the
bottle in a variety of whimsical displays.
At the same time, California wine producers began to take on the
Champagne region of France with their more affordable and approachable
sparkling wines. The Korbel brand from Sonoma, California was a leader in
making the “champagne experience” more accessible.

Absolut-ly, Silver Girl recognizes this time period—the
setting for Leslie’s novel SILVER GIRL—and the roles both Vodka and Sparkling
Wine played in our drinking lives in the 80s. It’s also an attempt at a playful update of the
classic and refreshing Tom Collins cocktail first memorialized in 1876 by Jerry
Thomas who many recognize as “the father of American mixology.”

In the Absolut-ly, Silver Girl Cocktail we have swapped
Vodka for Gin, replaced granulated sugar with a more complex simple syrup and
introduced a dash each of cherry bitters and orange bitters to replace the
typical Collins’ garnishes. Topping off this cocktail is sparkling wine which takes
the place of carbonated water.

Below are two versions of the Absolut-ly, Silver
Girl Cocktail.

Cheers!

Drink created by Steve Ello.

Absolut-ly, Silver Girl Cocktail (Served up)

1
oz Absolut Vodka

½
oz Fresh Lemon Juice

½
oz 1:1 Simple Syrup*

1
Dash Orange Bitters

1
Dash Cherry Bitters

Add
the ingredients above to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Double
strain into a chilled coupe.

Top
with:

1
oz of Korbel Brut Sparkling Wine and a Lemon Twist

Absolut-ly, Silver Girl Cocktail (On the rocks)

1
oz Absolut Vodka

½
oz Fresh Lemon Juice

½
oz 1:1 Simple Syrup*

1
Dash Orange Bitters

1
Dash Cherry Bitters

Add the ingredients above to a rocks or Collins
glass and stir. Add ice.

Top
with:

1
oz of Korbel Brut Sparkling Wine and a Lemon Twist

*How
to make 1:1 simple syrup:

Boil
one cup water. Add one cup granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool before
use. (Can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator.)

Friday, March 16, 2018

The age-old questions…where to submit your work?
Who’s open for manuscripts? What are the deadlines if you’re trying to balance
and/or avoid some simultaneous submissions while not missing the tiny window of
an open reading period? While nothing will replace the careful study of the lit
journal/small press scene (i.e. reading work to understand the vibe and
aesthetic of a publication), a list of open places can be helpful, especially
when it offers links, is free, and does not overwhelm.

I’m happy to say I found such a list on Entropy
Magazine: Where to Submit: March, April, May. That’s right, it’s targeted to
RIGHT NOW and will be updated for June, July, August. And then for the fall.
And then for the winter. !! Is this heaven? No, it’s the internet.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

“I researched and wrote a novel set in 1900
Chicago, but what a cinch compared to writing about 1982 Chicago—though I was
alive in 1982, with a brain actively recording memories. Some American eras
beckon novelists seductively with auras of perpetual cool: Roaring Twenties.
Grunge in the ’90s. The Sixties, everyone’s darling. Punk! Other historical
times are lesser known, allowing the writer to do exactly what she wants: the
1200s. 1823. The Ice Age. But the time setting of my new novel, Silver
Girl, is the late ’70s and the early ’80s, which I found was a challenging
historical period to write about. (Yes, forty years ago is “historical
fiction.”)…”

Monday, March 5, 2018

"Silver Girl is an act of mesmerism, of
misdirection; it appears slight and forgettable, but turns out to have more
substance and permanence than half the novels on a given bookshelf.
Thematically, it’s ambitious: irreconcilable conflicts regarding money abide
within it, as well as enduring mysteries about female friendship and a spooky
motif of displacement and replacement. Nothing is as it seems between its
pages, or between its characters."